Elmhurst youth baseball team can advance to Little League World Series with a win Thursday

The Elmhurst Youth Baseball Little League team, with players 12 and under led by head coach Edwin Ramos, looks to advance to the Little League World Series for the first time.

Elmhurst needs a victory at the Great Lakes Region over the Ohio team from New Albany to reach the fabled final tournament in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, beginning Aug. 16.

The Illinois state champions and New Albany were slated to play Wednesday in Whitestown, Indiana, but rain postponed the game to 4 p.m. Thursday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

In a regional semifinal on Aug. 7 in Whitestown, Elmhurst hit 8 doubles, 2 by Liam Larma, to beat New Albany 8-4. Elmhurst broke open a 4-4 tie after two innings with a 3-run fourth inning.

Elmhurst beat Bedford, Indiana, 13-1 on Aug. 5 in its first game at the Great Lakes Region.

If successful in double-elimination regional play, Elmhurst would face the winner of the West Region on Aug. 17 in Williamsport.

El Segundo, California, advanced to the Aug. 11 West Region championship against the winner of Wednesday's semifinal between Hilo, Hawaii, and San Ramon, California.